This invention relates to an ice handling apparatus of the counter-top type that stores ice in cube and nugget form in an insulated sanitary container, and dispenses predetermined quantities of cubed or nugget ice upon demand, and to combined ice handling and beverage dispensing apparatus that cools beverages using cubed or nugget ice falling by gravity onto a cold plate, and dispenses cooled beverages. Cube ice is defined as either traditional batched process cube ice or continuously processed compressed nuggets.
Apparatus for dispensing ice alone, and of both ice and cooled beverages, is known. A machine having a cylindrical drum and shutter arranged to "vend" a predetermined quantity of ice cubes from a common mass of cubes in a storage bin is shown in "Ice Vending Machine", U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,300, issued Sept. 13, 1966 to Hoenisch. A single scoop was formed between flat and cylindrical walls of the drum and thus allowed for only one ice delivery for each rotation thereof.
A machine for dispensing both ice and cooled beverages is shown in "Cold Plate System for Ice Dispenser", U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,359, issued Nov. 17, 1981 to Koeneman et al. Ice falls by gravity through a vertical conduit whereby to fill the conduit and fall onto the center of a horizontally disposed cold plate therebelow. It is very important that the beverage be maintained at a particular temperature if the product to be dispensed is acceptable. To achieve this end, the beverages are passed through the cold plate and cooled to a certain temperature. Maintaining a uniform layer of hard ice on the cold plate is important to assure adequate cooling of the carbonated water and syrup running through the tubes in the cold plate. The Koeneman cold plate may not always be totally covered with ice due to the ice fall arrangement.
Another problem in apparatus of the type herein is that even with an insulated storage bin, because of various external factors, the ice can melt to a certain extent. The melting of the ice can result in a water drainage problem and a tendency of the ice to adhere and become fused. This is particularly so in systems using ice in crushed or flaked form. Consequently, an agitator is provided to agitate the stored ice to prevent fusion. Systems using a spiral-helix type auger in combination with semi-cylindrical ice supporting liner are known. The spiral auger drives the ice in a generally horizontal path across the liner, oftentimes resulting in too much "handling" of the ice, causing the ice to break down and deteriorate. Small particles of ice are very hard to dispense and are prone to melt.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide ice cube and nugget dispensing apparatus incorporating agitating and dispensing means which will be capable of continuously dispensing ice in cube or nugget form.
Still another object is provision of an ice dispensing arrangement to cause the ice to be dispensed with the least amount of breakage as possible.
Another object of the invention is provision of a combination ice cube and nugget dispensing and ice cube agitating means which is responsive to a control signal whereby to agitate without dispensing the ice cubes.
Another object of this invention is provision of a unique rotor configuration for agitating ice cubes to prevent their becoming frozen and delivering ice cubes from a storage bin to a discharge chute without any accompanying water.
Another object of this invention is provision of an ice and beverage dispensing apparatus wherein an ice agitating means assures that the ice does not become solid but also supplies ice as needed to a cold plate for cooling beverages.
In accordance with this invention there is provided an ice dispenser of the type including a hopper or storage bin for storing a quantity of ice cubes, an agitator mounted in the hopper for maintaining the ice in free-flowing form, the agitator including a sweep arm that is connected to a rotor for rotation therewith. The sweep arm extends into the hopper to pick up the ice and rotate it around the inside circumference of the bin. The rotor is mounted to the hopper for rotation about a primary axis and for dispensing ice from the hopper. The rotor comprises a flat circular plate having a central hub mountable to a motor shaft extending through the front wall of the hopper, a plurality of raised ribs to engage and lift the ice, and a plurality of radially extending "scoops" disposed around the circumference thereof, rotation of the rotor operating to dispense ice from the full circumference of the rotor. The scoops move the ice within the bin from a location adjacent the bottom wall of the bin toward an outlet located vertically thereabove at the top of the bin. Ice slides down an arcuately-shaped bottom surface of continuous unbroken curvature defining the storage bin and is picked up by a lip on each scoop of the rotor and is rotated to the top of the bin for discharge therefrom.
Further and in accordance with this invention is a combination ice handling and beverage dispensing apparatus, comprising that recited for the ice handling and dispensing apparatus and further comprising a container for holding a quantity of ice, a cold plate in the container, and the hopper including a plurality of openings for allowing ice to fall by gravity from the hopper to the container whereby to maintain a supply of ice in the container and in contact with the cold plate. The sweep arm facilitates entry of ice into the openings whereby to fall into the container and distribution of the ice on the top face of the cold plate.
An advantage of the present rotor is elimination of an auger/wire helix apparatus which requires excessive axial "handling" of the ice, which causes ice to break down, and deteriorate into small particles of ice which are hard to dispense. The sweep arm and the raised ribs on the rotor tend to rotate through the ice and let it free fall into place, contrary to that of the spiral auger/wire helix which pushes the ice into a discharge opening.
A water drain line connects to the hopper and the cold plate to advantageously drain water from the machine whereby to obviate ice from becoming solid or water at 32.degree. F sitting on top of the cold plate instead of hard ice cubes.
Another advantage is that the ice cubes used to maintain the necessary temperature in the cold plate are not dispensed.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.